Let's wind back almost 90 years exactly. Imagine it’s 1933 and you’re in a theatre watching what seems like a playful black and white movie short. It’s a film that looks at a soda jerk (what we would call a server) handing out drinks to the wealthy. The character, who is referred to as a “fruitcake” (aka mad or eccentric) is given a drink which quickly turns this hyper effeminate looking man into a Jekyll and Hyde-style monster. There are gasps. Then just a year after this shocking scene aired, the United States introduced the Hays Code; a piece of censorship legislation that imposed strict guidelines right up until 1968. Imagine how it would feel to see this outwardly flamboyant character negatively characterised as otherworldly and unusual. It turns out, this wasn’t that common and Soda Squirt was one of the first known examples of a queer coded characters in early animation. This scene undoubtedly alienates queerness and presents it as a monstrous characteristic, both literally and symbolically. Nearly 90 years have passed and these early presentations of dangerously loaded queerness have gradually been disposed of, and outdated attitudes are being drowned out in the industry.
TV shows have served as cultural touchpoints for many. Now, the first-rising growth of LGBTQ+ representation in animation
